Just been over to Krakow, Poland for our works Xmas do, (A group of around 12 of us go somewhere in Europe for the weekend rather than pay slightly less for a normal office Xmas do etc...) And this year as it was quite close by we decided to give up the last day of drinking to actually do something of a little more importance.

We visited Auschwitz I & Auschwitz-Birkenau. To be honest i don't think anything can physically or mentally prepare you for simply the scale on which these two places are built. It's only when you arrive and actually see the size of the places that it starts to sink in what actually happened at these places. As the guides take you around the first camp you learn of even more of the atrocities that occured day to day. All in all a very humbling experience which really did make 12 normal blokes realise how lucky we all are.

The entrance to Auschwitz I..... The words over the gate translate "work brings freedom".

The original holding blocks

A watch tower..... The "halt" sign in the foreground was the limit of where prisoners could walk.... If they crossed that point they were shot & the soldier doing so would be given a "reward" of 3 days leave. This led to soldiers ordering prisoners to walk to the line and then shoot them just to receive this "reward"!!!

Auschwitz I Crematorium.

Entrance to Auschwitz-Birkenau (Auschwitz camp II).

The remains of one of the two gas chambers at the site..... The Nazis tried to destroy them just before the camp was liberated.

The "exit" from what people were told was just the shower room... All made to look as normal as possible.

The entrance down into what was the changing rooms. People were told to strip off ready to move into the shower room which was actually the gas chamber.

The entrance to the chamber is just to the right of this picture and as can be seen is only a few yards from the fence..... Who would have thought about risking escape if they thought they were just going to take a shower after anything upto 7 days packed into a railway cattle truck???

Looking back to the entrance a good 10-15 minutes walk away.

And three images to show the scale of what went on here.... Each of the small chimneys in the last picture was where a hut was located!!!

Cheers

Dave.

Certainly makes you think.

So people were led into the 'shower rooms' and then gassed?

Some poignant photos there :(

its nearly impossible to comprehend what went in places like Aucshwitz, its somewhere i wanted to visit before we headed off to Canada. got to see Juno beach in Northern France (kind of ironic since it was mainly Canadian soldiers that landed there if my history is correct) and it was just incredible to imagine that day in WW2 where so many perished. it would appear mankind still has many lessons to learn.

Mark

awesome pictures. and well preserved so we never forget what went on there.

unfortunately we didn't learn from it and it's still occuring round the world. :(

Certainly makes you think.

So people were led into the 'shower rooms' and then gassed?

Hence the rather cruel joke, why do German shower heads have 11 holes?

because Jews only have 10 fingers

Its a scary scary thought when you think of the influence that one man had on an entire nation, i would imagine its one of those places where you have a constant lump in your throat

Certainly does make you think.

very very sad. Pure evil.

Personally I've given up on mankind ever learning any lessons at all, ever.

It seems that we're all hard-wired to just be vicious barstewards from birth.

It was this way thousands of years ago, and it still is...

The very decision to be a peaceful, loving kind of person just gives more power to those that spread hate and practise violence.

Wish I didnt open up this thread tbh....

good little photos i think at times doing something like that instead of just going on the **** is a lot better

I went back in 2005, got some similar shots of Auschwitz. Chilling to wander round to say the least.

Krakow on the other hand was a fantastic place to visit, really enjoyed it.

Hmmmm..........

I think these photos demonstrate why The holocaust was such a horrific event.

There are other attrocities that have occurred within the last two centuries whereby many more millions of people were brutally murdered by their oppressors in sickening circumstances,

but it's the way that this was planned meticulously and vast death camps were strategically planned and lovingly crafted by the Nazi's that makes this so absolutely chilling.

but it's the way that this was planned meticulously and vast death camps were strategically planned and lovingly crafted by the Nazi's that makes this so absolutely chilling.

That's exactly what a couple of us thought while we there and being told that the first trial of gasing was done at Auschwitz and took approx 48 hours for the poor devils selected to die. :mad: What sort of sick mind thinks this idea up and then decides to use as little as possible of the stuff as reqd..... meaning untill they got it right the poor devils had a long and lingering death.

Cheers

Dave.

Certainly makes you think.

So people were led into the 'shower rooms' and then gassed?

Yes, The one's selected for death were told they were going to get cleaned up before going back for their belongings..... They were led past the supposed exit and towards the entrance which is the photo with the steps leading down into the chamber. This entrance was placed only 10 yards or so from the edge of the camp but who would think about risking escaping when you were only supposed to be having a shower???

Cheers

Dave.

Very good photos Dave, thanks for sharing. You've captured the essence of the place very well I think. I've a lump in my throat here; certainly does make you stop and think.

Somewhere I'd very much like to visit.

Steve

Very good photos Dave, thanks for sharing. You've captured the essence of the place very well I think. I've a lump in my throat here; certainly does make you stop and think.

Somewhere I'd very much like to visit.

Steve

I had the intention of taking one of the digital cameras with me but forgot so had to use the phone.

I know some some people say it's gruesome to go to a place like this but to be honest i'm glad i have.... Nothing can prepare you for the moment you walk into the rooms with 2 tonnes of human hair some still platted as though it had been done yesterday along with another room stacked ceiling high with thousands of pairs of mens, womens, childrens & babies shoes and yet another with thousands of suitcases still labelled with the owners name & details so they didn't get lost whilst they were being "relocated". And to just see the sheer scale of what was done is beyond belief.... How this could have been planned with such precision & enthusiasm is beyond me.

I heard one of the guides say that it is part of the Polish corriculum to attend the site at least once during your education.

Cheers

Dave.

I think these photos demonstrate why The holocaust was such a horrific event.

There are other attrocities that have occurred within the last two centuries whereby many more millions of people were brutally murdered by their oppressors in sickening circumstances,

but it's the way that this was planned meticulously and vast death camps were strategically planned and lovingly crafted by the Nazi's that makes this so absolutely chilling.

I had the intention of taking one of the digital cameras with me but forgot so had to use the phone.

I know some some people say it's gruesome to go to a place like this but to be honest i'm glad i have.... Nothing can prepare you for the moment you walk into the rooms with 2 tonnes of human hair some still platted as though it had been done yesterday along with another room stacked ceiling high with thousands of pairs of mens, womens, childrens & babies shoes and yet another with thousands of suitcases still labelled with the owners name & details so they didn't get lost whilst they were being "relocated". And to just see the sheer scale of what was done is beyond belief.... How this could have been planned with such precision & enthusiasm is beyond me.

I heard one of the guides say that it is part of the Polish corriculum to attend the site at least once during your education.

Cheers

Dave.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing - Edmund Burke

There were somethings it didn't feel right to photo (can't remember now if you were allowed to or not). The stacks of personal possessions, The yard used for firing squads (the original method of execution), inside the original crematorium etc. All seemed so normal nowadays but with such a horrific history :(

My GF went to Birkenau a while back with a school history trip and came back saying much the same things. They were also given a tour by a holocaust survivor - stood in the town square, the guide pointed to a manhole cover saying "that's where I climbed down to escape the firing squad".

There's also a holocaust gallery at the Imperial War Museum which I'd thoroughly recommend - they have a scale model of a section through Aushwitz, and which takes up an entire room. It's a very moving display.

mrbrynley.

Nothing can prepare you for what you will feel when you walk through the gates at Auswitz/Birkenau, I went there years ago whilst serving in the Army in Germany, and to see a squad of squaddies walking in total silence with tears forming totally summed up the experience.

It is so emotional, and a visit will be with you for ever.

It should be taught in all schools, so that those who lost their lives will never be forgotten.

Thanks for that.

Id love to visit there.

Not in a sadistic way, just curious.

Its awful what happened and i watched Schindlers List when it was on ITV4 the other night, and ill be man enough to say i creid again whilst watching it.

So where did you actually stop?

Wow....would certainly be interested in visiting one day. Looks quite an 'atmospheric' place....

There were somethings it didn't feel right to photo (can't remember now if you were allowed to or not). The stacks of personal possessions, The yard used for firing squads (the original method of execution), inside the original crematorium etc. All seemed so normal nowadays but with such a horrific history :(

Yes as you say the personal possessions and such like inside the buildings along with the inside of the crematorium and also the execution yard aren't really places to take pictures and rightly so there are signs asking you not to.

Cheers

Dave.

Thanks for that.

Id love to visit there.

Not in a sadistic way, just curious.

Its awful what happened and i watched Schindlers List when it was on ITV4 the other night, and ill be man enough to say i creid again whilst watching it.

So where did you actually stop?

We stayed in Krakow.... We flew out from Doncaster - Sheffield on Friday evening to Katowice then got 3 taxis to Krakow.

On the way one of the lads arranged with the driver of one of the taxi's to take us to Auschwitz on the Sunday morning. The taxi's don't charge for waiting in Poland so it cost 400zl (£80) per car to go from Krakow to Auschwitz I, wait for us, then go to Auschwitz Berkenau, wait for us again. Then take us to Katowice for the flight back home. All in all approx 2hrs driving and 6 hrs waiting around.

Cheers

Dave.

Great stuff thanks.

I hope you don't mind Dave and trying not to go too far off topic or steal your thunder but for anyone who's interested:

Krakow was a lovely place - lots to see and do and we didn't even go to the castle or the salt mine. No trouble, locals were friendly, we bought some a few drinks and they asked about work in the UK etc. Very enjoyable place to go with the lads or the missus. Certainly not as seedy and dangerous as I've heard Prague or Riga can be.

I travelled with 4 friends from Manchester direct to Krakow with SkyEurope Airlines and got a taxi into the city. Stayed right in the centre, about 50yds from the Square and the Cloth Hall. It was a hostel called Mama's or something cost about £10 a night each as we shared a big room.

We took the bus from the Krakow bus station to Auchwitz. Was about half the price of a taxi but it took twice as long - 1.5-2hrs . At the bus station, there's guys touting taxi drivers to take you to Auschwitz. Wander round like clueless tourists for about 30s and they'll find you. For a number of reasons we took the bus, I would take a taxi next time. The bus drops you off outside Auschwitz 1 which is more like a prison/military establishment.

You can go round guided or unguided but the buildings are numbered and it takes you along a trail. It starts by describing the invasion of Poland and what the Germans did to the Poles, which was bad enough. You get to read about the resistance effort and the ghettos etc. You move on to the early history of the camp, living conditions, go through the nazi cellars where they imprisoned, tortured, experimented and executed people. There's displays of personal records and posessions. Through to things about the early gassings that took place here and then the small crematorium where to start with they could only cremate a few bodies at a time.

Birkenau (the hardcore '000s & '000s death camp that you think of as Auschwitz) is a mile or so away - It was ****ing with rain at the time so we didn't go, bloody democratic decisions Or as Dave did, getting a taxi means you can get a lift. But you can see the scale of the site from Dave's pictures. AFAIK most of it was demolished so what you see is only a small part of what was there.

Compared to the other 2 days of drinking, its a very sobering comedown. Auschwitz isn't an enjoyable place to go but it definitely a worthwhile experience whilst you're over there.